Ah, yes, “Hairspray!” What a film! Taking the lead role in the musical was actress Marissa Winokur. The actress, who won a Tony Award for the Broadway adaptation of the colorful and very fun musical extravaganza, won hearts! However, she had a bit of a problem.
Always on the heavier side, Marissa was almost admitted with a medical emergency due to her weight. Her cholesterol shot up to an alarmingly high level, and her doctor advised her seriously to lose weight. She went on a restrictive 1,200-calorie diet and exercised her heart out. But hey, the final result was worth it: Winokur lost over 60 pounds!
Khloe Kardashian - 40 Pounds
Did someone say Revenge Body? The taller of the Kardashians, Khloe, has undergone a crazy transformation. Where she used to carry a few extra pounds, the Kardashian sister is now sporting a much trimmer figure. The TV personality, however, had more of a reason to get in shape – let’s call it fuel for her fire. And that fuel? A bad breakup.
Nothing spurs us on more than a relationship that soured. So adopting a strict diet and the help of a fitness trainer, Khloe managed to drop around 40 pounds following her breakup. Since then, she started her own show, "Revenge Body," which seems appropriate, seeing as she can relate to the contestants!
Paul Wall - 130 Pounds
Rapper Paul Wall made quite a bit of noise on the scene, particularly when he entered. But just at the beginning of his career, the rapper just about hit 320 pounds. At such an alarming weight on the scales, he was urged to lose weight in some way because his heart wasn’t going to be able to take it much longer.
He underwent gastric sleeve surgery. Following the procedure, Wall had to also adopt a strict diet that focused on balance and a lot of fresh fruit and veg, as well as being relatively low in carbs. With a consistent approach, Wall managed to lose a staggering 130 pounds! It seems that after his experience, there’s no going back, as he continues to maintain his newly adopted healthy lifestyle!
Melissa McCarthy - 75 Pounds
Okay seriously. Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids" completely won us over. She absolutely killed in that movie! You may not know this, but she’s been on the scene a lot longer – the comedic actress appeared back in the ‘90s! Her role in "Gilmore Girls" gave her more of a name, and she was recognized in many American households.
But McCarthy always was on the heavier side, and well, she wasn’t always happy about being cast as the plus-sized actress who was funny. Stereotypes eh? The actress-comedienne hit her breakthrough with her weight, though: in 2016, McCarthy lost 75 pounds without the help of gastric bypass surgery! She just worked hard and got where she wanted. You go, girl!
Mama June - 200 Pounds
Ah yes, who could forget the reality TV series "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." If it were us, we’d leave it far behind in reality TV trash land, but hey… it’s kinda addictive. Dammit! Anyway, the matriarch of the show, Mama June, is next up on our list of celebs who piled on the pounds. However, Mama June always had an issue with her weight and was the brunt of many jokes due to her obesity. She sure showed the world and the haters when she dropped 300 pounds after gastric sleeve surgery.
Mama June was an exception – sometimes, gastric sleeve surgery is a more viable option when the weight loss is more than substantial. She then went on to go under the knife and had some excess skin trimmed, as well as a boob job just to make her feel, well, good! You can see all the deets on her own show: "Mama June: From Not to Hot."